[at-l] Hiking Poles

[athiker@plantnet.com (Peter H. Fornof)]

The article says that the baskets actually chew more of the ground up by
lifting the soil. The baskets also get caught in vegetation.

----- Original Message -----
From: "James Bullard" <bullard@northnet.org>
To: <at-l@backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2001 11:12 AM
Subject: Re: [at-l] Hiking Poles


> At 08:48 PM 4/17/01 -0500, Peter H. Fornof wrote:
> >I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or not, but the latest issue of "The
> >Register" has an interesting article on hiking poles and their impact on
> >the trail. The article states that there has not been any definitive
study
> >on hiking poles' impact on erosion. The authors do recommend LNT
practices
> >when using poles such as using rubber tips, not using the poles in flat
> >sections, and taking the baskets off the poles. The article is
> >well-balanced and informative.
>
> Okay I admit to being puzzled. What was the logic in removing the baskets?
> The basket is intended to limit how far the tip will sink in soft ground.
> That would seem to be desirable from an LNT perspective.
>
> The advice that Leapfrog got from the Leki Rep also seems to lack logic.
> The baskets are flexible plastic. I can't imagine that they really add
> strength to an aluminum alloy shaft.
>
> FWIW: I generally leave the basket off my EMS (made by Komperdell) pole
> (only one) because it's easier to slip it into the ski slot of my pack
that
> way when hiking on level ground or for hand-over-hand climbing. I put it
on
> when crossing very soft ground and I need the pole for stability. If I'm
> climbing or descending a reasonable incline I use the pole sans basket.
>
> Finally, a home or building supply place is sometimes a good source of
> rubber tips (like crutch tips) and they're usually cheaper than the drug
> store. Rubber tips can grip well on rock but they wear out pretty fast so
> buy several. They frequently come off in mud. I've been known to dig down
> 3-4 inches with my fingers to retrieve a lost rubber tip. Which is worse
> for LNT, digging out the lost tip or leaving it there? I haven't decided.
> Personally I like the "thunk, thunk" of the rubber tip better than the
> "clack, clack" of the carbide tip. To each his own.
>
> Saunterer
>
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